


Echoes

by RoseGardenTwilight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, birthday gift, gabriel/emilie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:39:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseGardenTwilight/pseuds/RoseGardenTwilight
Summary: One day on one of Gabriel's visits Emilie, he gets more than he bargained for.He whipped around at the voice behind him and immediately stumbled back. His legs couldn’t keep up, and he fell to the ground. Gabriel barely noticed the pain as his heart thrashed against his insides.”You can’t be.” He wasn’t supposed to see his wife, let alone walking around and speaking to him. But no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, her image remained.“And why not?” She sharply questioned, crossing her arms, eyebrows arched.“Because, ”— His voice gave out and he turned his gaze from the women standing in front of him to the chamber with his wife very much inside.





	1. A Fluttering Echo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Remasa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remasa/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, REMASA!!! It is her birthday today, and I thought, why not write a feels/fluff Gabe/Emilie thing for her. So this is the result. I hope you like it!!!
> 
> Thank you, Caughtfeelings who betaed it.

Gabriel found himself staring at the computer screen, unable to find the flaw in the design. It had been hours. He knew the problem; he couldn’t focus. It seemed that burying himself in his work didn’t distract him of his impending birthday in a couple of days without his loving wife. 

Maybe he just needed to try harder.

Eyes wandering back to the outfit he had planned for the Adrien line, his frustration only built. The edges of a migraine caused him to pinch the bridge of his nose while Gabriel gave in to the temptation of heavy eyelids. Obviously, this wasn’t working, and if he couldn’t avoid the issue, the only solution was to face it head-on. Agreste men never back away from the problems they face; if they did, he wouldn’t be running the fashion empire he was today.

“Nathalie,” he called out. 

“Sir?” She answered immediately, waiting for his orders.

“Cancel the rest of my meetings today.” The factories may be upset about the change in schedule, but Gabriel would have to deal with the repercussions after his visit.

“Of course.”

Quick, precise, and loyal. Without her, the family would have fallen apart a long time ago. He couldn't have asked for a better secretary.

“Are you going to go see her?”

That was the question, but the answer always seemed to loop back to Emilie. Gabriel offered a soft sad smile in return. “I am.”

“Very good, sir. I’ll see to it that you’re not disturbed.” He made a mental note to give her a vacation once the spring collection was complete. If someone deserved one, it was her for working nonstop without a single complaint. The door closed without a word; he turned towards the portrait of his wife.

Every time he visited her, it took a toll on him. Seeing her laying there stiff and lifeless pained his heart. He may have well been useless; he was no closer to bringing her back. Giving up, however, was not an option until life stole his last breath. He owed her at least that. The world needed more Emilie Agreste to warm the hearts of the people still living. She was his driving motivation, and he doubted that would fade any time soon. There had to be something besides the wishes he could do to reverse the effects. All she wanted to do was to help people, and the world made her suffer. The hardest lesson he had to learn was the world doesn’t care if you’re good or evil; you all suffer the same. 

Her figure drew him in, and he placed his hand on the glass. If only she was awake and he could throw his arms around her. He would never let her go. “I’m sorry I’ve been away so long, my love.” It’s not that he hadn’t wanted to see her; he had been busy with the fall line. But if he was honest with himself, he could have made time to visit. “It’s my birthday in a few days,” he continued. “But it doesn’t feel like it, not without you here.” 

Water began to welled in his eyes as he clenched his fist. 

“I thought I was very clear; you’re not allowed to cry over me.” A stern tone snapped. 

**That voice.**

Gabriel’s head jerked up towards the stasis chamber, storing the last shred of his wife’s existence. Nothing had changed from inside, so the voice couldn’t have originated from there. But he could swear that voice belonged to—

“You do remember promising that, didn’t you?” This time, however, the harshness melted into a warm assurance. “The last thing I ever wanted was for me to hold you back from living his life.” 

He whipped around at the voice behind him and immediately stumbled back. His legs couldn’t keep up, and he fell to the ground. Gabriel barely noticed the pain as his heart thrashed against his insides. 

”You can’t be.” He wasn’t supposed to see his wife, let alone walking around and speaking to him. But no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, her image remained.

“And why not?” She sharply questioned, crossing her arms, eyebrows arched.

“Because, ”— His voice gave out and he turned his gaze from the women standing in front of him to the chamber with his wife very much inside.

Still, when magic is involved, anything could happen. If he knew the danger back when the mysteries of the Miraculous were first introduced, he wouldn’t have gotten involved. Losing Emilie wasn’t worth the power he gained. Now it seemed the price was he would be mocked with images of his wife to torment him further. 

“If you are indeed Emilie, tell me something only the two of us would know.” If It were an imposter, the question would stop them in their tracks. Gabriel knew the love of his life like the back of his hand. If she lied, Gabriel wouldn’t hold back.

“Hmmm,” she hummed, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. “All these years and you haven’t changed Gav.” 

Gabriel gasped at the name, but his surprise didn’t seem to stop her in the least. “The way we met at the coffee shop was unique. I remember it vividly. 

“I had ordered a cold brew, but I had seen you long before I got into line. You were sitting at a table against the wall just under one of the paintings. It was where I usually sat when I had the day off. I remember you checking your phone and flipping through your textbook. I could have sworn that we locked eyes once, but I got cold feet and averted my gaze away quickly. Once I got my coffee, I had every intention to walk out the door and allow you to become a memory of the cute guy in the coffee shop that I would remember from time to time. Strangely, fate had other plans. 

I hadn’t meant to trip, let alone spill all my coffee all over your suit. I was mortified at the way you shot up from your seat gasping out of shock. The napkins didn’t do any good, and I offered to dry clean my mess, but you turned it down. You assured me that you could handle taking it to the cleaners. Your eyes, they held such kindness and gentleness that I found that I couldn’t look away. Before I left, I remember leaving my number in case there was anything I could do. I didn’t know at the time how much would you mean to me.”

Emilie smiled to herself as she retold the memory, and Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away. This had to be her; there was no other explanation. When pressed to how they had met, Gabriel spared Emilie the embarrassment of sharing the details of the spilled coffee to the press. 

“I-I called you a week later,” Gabriel muttered. “Only because it took me that long to gather the courage.” 

“While I was waiting by my phone every single day.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Emilie smirked, “a woman is entitled to her secrets. Why? Would it have made a difference in the time it took you to ask me out?”

“No,” he confessed. “I think that would have made me even more nervous.”

“I don’t see why. You had me right where you wanted me.”

“Because, as I remembered it, you’ve always been out of my league.”

_Gabe couldn’t help but pace the room waiting for her to arrive. During his first year of design school, he had heavily depended on Emilie’s opinion for one critical reason: she wasn’t afraid of being honest with him. It turned out that taking the plunge and calling her was the right move, and lead her quickly becoming his best friend. He had soon realized that he wanted more._

_But even he was aware of how out of his league she was. Sure, he was born into money, but Emilie—she had a beauty that swelled from the depths of her soul. Without a doubt, she lit up any room she walked in and was always the first to ask how people were doing. Whenever you were around her, warmth oozed out of her. Emilie could remember little details about people and ask them months later how situations turned out, not missing a beat._ _  
_

_She had even had won the approval of his father —not that she knew that fact—but Gabriel was determined to ask Emilie out without allowing fear to get in the way._

_He just had to find the courage._

_“Still spacing Gav? That’s always like you!” Emilie's voice caused him to jump outside of his pace. He did smile at the nickname; she was the only one who called him that. Emilie had deemed it their thing. Friends had nicknames for each other, right? Either way, it caused his heart to flutter like butterflies in his chest every time she used it._

_“What are you working on? Is it the final project?” The way her green eyes lit up with excitement captivated all of his attention. His eyes could only trail after her as she hurriedly made her way towards his desk._

_“Wait!” He blurted out, not sure if he was ready for his crush to cast judgment on his gala dress already. Even if he could put it off for an hour or two, that would allow his heart to reach a more reasonable speed. “It's not ready.”_

_Emilie held the paper out of his grasp. “I’m sure it’s not as horrible as you’re making your sketches out to be. Let me be the judge of that.”_

_His chest tightened as he watched the various expressions dance across her face._

_“Hmm,” Emilie hummed._

_What, was something wrong?_

_Her lip curled between her teeth as she held the pause for a couple of seconds long before relieving him of his torture. “Don’t change a thing,” Emilie smiled, “it’s perfect.”_

_Gabriel’s heart leaped into his throat, “Really?” Emilie wasn’t the type of person to give out false compliments. If she said not to change a thing, then it was time to start the production stage._

_“Absolutely,” Emilie finally handed his sketches back to him._

_Gabriel gripped the papers tighter. The question on the tip of his tongue was sure to make his palms start to sweat. “I was hoping that maybe you could be my model?”_

_“What?”_

_Heat lined the tips of his ears from the base of his neck. Maybe this was too far, but she was his friend after all; she wouldn’t judge him._

_“I mean, I don’t have to use a model, but I’m sure the dress would look better on you, with your body shape. I already picked colors that would flatter your cool skin tone, making your beautiful eyes pop”- The gravity of what he said sunk in. The damage was already done, but backing out of it would make him look even more foolish. Not that Emilie gave him a chance, she burst out in a small fit of laughter._

_“Is that why you’ve been acting all weird the last couple weeks? Of course, I’ll be your model, Gav.”_

_“Thank you! I’ll take you out to dinner to celebrate.”_

_“Like a date?” The air around them stilled at the comment. Gabriel forced himself to turn his gaze in time to see a pink tint resting on her cheeks. This was it; she had given him the nudge that he needed._

_He softly smiled. “Yeah, like a date.”_

“You know, the first thing I did was gush to all my friends about how lucky I was. The man I had a crush on for the last several months liked me back. I couldn’t have been happier at that moment.”

Gabriel found himself at a loss of words. She—if she was, in fact, his wife— had never told him any of this. All he had heard from Emilie’s friends was how well liked she was, especially from the male population. Out of all the people she could have liked, they were drawn to each other. He must have been the luckiest guy in the world to catch her eye.

“I remember the exact moment I fell in love with you,” Emilie stated, catching his attention. 

Gabriel, attuned to her movements, followed her as she slowly began to circle him.

”It was a couple of days before Christmas, and you took me to the skating on the outdoor rink. I had never skated before but didn't want to spoil the date. You were so patient, and no matter how many times we fell, you made a sorry excuse blaming yourself to make me feel better. 

You even stood in line afterward to buy me some hot chocolate. Watching you made me realize that I had fallen for you along the way.”

Gabriel’s mouth dropped, and he dared to take a step forward. “But you waited to tell me. Why?” 

Emilie shrugged in response. “I wasn’t even sure how to tell you or how you would react.” She hugged her arms across her body. “I only had to wait a couple more weeks to hear you say it. When you whispered those words in my ear as they set off fireworks, my heart exploded with them. I wouldn’t change that for the world.”

A chuckle fell from Gabriel’s lips. “If only you knew how much I was a bundle of nerves. I have practiced all week with the staff of how I would tell you, but when the time came, all that vanished.”

Emilie caught him off guard by suddenly ghosting a kiss to his cheek before continuing her pacing. “I’d rather have open vulnerability than rehearsed lines any day.”

Gabriel’s hand flew to the spot where her lips touched. There was the smallest spark of heat when her lips made contact; he couldn’t help but gasp. Meanwhile, his head swirled to the point where he would have to close his eyes and dig his nails into his palms to get a grounding.

He tried to ignore the pounding from his heart against his rib cage. Getting distracted couldn’t be an option; he still hadn’t received an answer from one of the first questions he asked.

“Emilie,” His hand ruffled through his hair. “I’ve been searching for a way to”— he couldn’t bring himself to continue that train of thought. For his heart yearned for his wife to be standing in front of him just like Emilie was now. If he finished the sentence, she might disappear. She would be so close, yet just out of reaching distance, as she’s always been.

“What are you doing here? Why can I see you?

“You can see me because you want to,” she replied simply.

Gabriel’s heart lurched. That’s all it took? But if that was the case, why was she only now showing up? He had been toiling away for years doing everything in his power to bring her back, didn’t that count for something?

“But I”—

His words stopped short when the familiar warmth wrapped over his shoulders. She was leaning into him, and all he wanted was to give in.

“Do you remember when you proposed to me?”

How could he ever forget?

_”You’re stressed,” Emilie’s arms curved around his slender body pulling him in close. “Your face is doing that thing again. Is it your father?”_ _  
_

_He didn’t know how she was always able to see right through him. Sometimes he wished that she wasn’t privy to his thoughts and stress he held on his shoulders with the Agreste name. Gabriel wanted to shield her from that life._ _  
_

_“It’s nothing,” he answered, hoping his girlfriend would drop the subject, or take him at his word. The second he felt the skin of her fingertips dip just underneath his jawline did he know he was in trouble. She guided his gaze to meet hers, and Gabe found himself swimming in her green pools filled with warmth and love._ _  
_

_“It’s not nothing. If it is weighing on you, and therefore us. Talk to me, Gav.”_ _  
_

_A comfort wrapped around him as he allowed a sigh to slip past his lips. Of course, this was affecting their relationship; he had been foolish to think it hadn’t._ _  
_

_“My father is concerned about starting up in the fashion industry; he doesn’t think I’ll succeed. Emilie, he’s not going to back me.”_ _  
_

_Even if he used what money he had in savings, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the start-up costs. His trust fund wouldn’t be available for another couple of years, and the cushion of his father’s investment now evaporated; he didn’t have many options. “Maybe I should wait, work on convincing my father to”-_ _  
_

_“No.” Emilie’s sudden outburst caught him off guard. “You have worked far too hard to base your dreams on the opinion of one man.” Her face softened as her hands to cup his face. “You are talented, and you can do anything you set your mind too.”_ _  
_

_“Only with you around,” he whispered. The idea hadn’t been a foreign one; he had known for a while that he was a better person with Emilie. “Marry me.”_ _  
_

_The words were out before he could stop them. Watching the shock resinate on her face, and with a lack of an instant answer, his stomach swirled. Had he misread what future his girlfriend wanted?_ _  
_

_“Emilie?” If she was to turn him down, he hoped she would make it quick so he could pick up the pieces of his shattered heart._ _  
_

_“Yes.”_

“I don’t understand,” Gabe replied, forcing himself to push the memory back to the depths of his mind no matter how much he wished it to linger. “Emilie”-

The warmth from earlier had turned to a dull echo. Upon a full spin, Gabriel found himself once again completely alone, wondering if it was all just a dream.


	2. Haunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, not sorry, for this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.n.- It's my birthday, I'll do what I want. Including updating this story for the lovely Remasa. Although this might hurt the feels though. The next one will be better. 
> 
> A huge thank you to Blue, who is back as my Beta. I love her so much.

Two days. Two days since he saw— or thought he saw Emilie. Was his mind playing tricks on him, or was it due to lack of sleep? The longer he dwelled on the details, the more he was convinced that he hadn't seen her at all. If she were real, then wouldn't she have shown herself in the hours that he spent over the last couple of days down beside her. 

His gray eyes wandered until they landed on Emilie's portrait. 

"Are you trying to tell me?" he muttered to himself. Silence echoed in return. Of course, she wouldn't answer. It was just a painting. 

"Father?" Adrien's voice cut through his distractions; he hadn't heard him knock. 

"Yes?"

"I know you're busy, but I thought- maybe we could spend some time together. Tomorrow maybe. With it being your birthday and all.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “I’ll check my schedule.” 

Adrien’s face slipped a crestfallen expression before he turned away. “Of course, father.” It wasn’t the answer that his son wanted to hear, but it was the only answer Gabriel could give him. Having his birthday fall so close to many deadlines was a curse in itself. 

His son disappeared before Gabriel could stop him. The best course of action was to push on completing everything on his to-do list. He walked the short distance to close the door, allowing himself to shift his focus. 

“You really should clear your schedule tomorrow and spend the day with him.” The familiar voice interrupted the second the door clicked. “He misses spending time with you.”

Could it be—

Gabriel whipped around to see Emilie perched up on his desk, legs crossed and hand resting on either side of her body. 

He should be happy. But nothing had been so obvious in the last couple days that he couldn’t will her to appear, and that frustrated him beyond belief. He had so many questions, the most prominent among them was the how and why. 

“Why the long face, Gav? Everyone gets older. Birthdays are nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I’m not ashamed about my age,” he snapped quickly before recoiling. “I just wish I could spend it with everyone I love.”

“You’re punishing Adrien whether you realize it or not.” Emilie snapped back. 

Gabriel’s mouth open to shoot out a response, but for the first few seconds, he was choking on his own air. “That wasn’t my intent.”

“I know.” There she was - that softness. Although his wife was a spitfire, she always quick to forgive, especially him. “You love our Adrien, even if you forget to show him sometimes.” Emilie hummed to herself. “And to think, I was so nervous to tell you.”

“I remember pacing back and forth almost all day going over and over what I was about to say. We had talked about children, but we had tried a couple of times before with no avail. I had almost given up on the idea of having kids, and I thought you might have accepted the same fate. 

In fact, it was Nathalie that insisted that I take a pregnancy test in the first place. She rushed to the store in order to get me one, shared in my joy once the results appeared. I sent her away, and soon, my mind raced over different situations. You could be happy about our future child, that would be the best scenario. We have both wanted this for the longest time. But despite my hope, doubt chilled the fear into my bones. What if you didn’t want the baby? I don’t think I could give him up.”

“I remember, Natalie told me that you needed me and I came rushing home,” Gabe added. “I was so afraid that something happened to you.”

“There you were standing at the doorway, and every practiced speech flew out of my head. My throat constructed, so I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. I’m surprised that my feet closed the gap between us. Your eyes searched mine, and the only thing I could think to do was bring my hand to rest on my stomach. I got to see your eyes light up with the epiphany when you realized what I was telling you.”

“I reached out to touch your hand, afraid that I misread what you were trying to say.”

“Everything after that was a blur, but there are some moments that are hard to forget. The way you hugged me tight, spinning me around once, the laughter and crying, and then you sank to your knees and placed a kiss on my stomach.”

“That was the happiest day of my life besides our wedding day.” Gabriel fondly recalled. “Not only because I was thrilled at the idea that we finally would bring a child into this world, but seeing the look on your face, I realized how much a family meant to you. That was the one thing I could give.”

“You think that’s the only thing you gave me, Gav?” Emilie’s stern voice commanded his attention. “If you think that, then you don’t know me - know us.”

“I didn’t mean…” Gabriel retorted, but his apology died in his throat when his wife’s lips lifted up into a smile. 

“I know.” With every harsh response, Emilie always immediately follow with warmth and love. Gabe was thankful for it. She kept him grounded, but always remembered to lift him back up. “But I will say out of all the things you gifted me, Adrien was my favorite. I had never seen someone so small in my life. Knowing that we created something out of our love brought tears to my eyes. Delivering was tiring, but seeing that beautiful healthy baby boy caused my heart to be overwhelmed. He was ours; our little Adrien.”

“He always liked you more,” Gabriel added. 

Emilie spun on her heels to face him. “That was because you were always so afraid that you were going to break him when he was a baby.” Her face softened. “I remember the first time you held him. You entered the room so cautiously, but I knew the second your eyes found him that you would come to love him as much as I did. Your eyes danced with excitement and burst with the purest form of love.”

The story flowed like honey off her tongue to Gabriel’s ears. She need not remind him. He couldn’t forget that day if he tried. 

“Then I asked if you would like to hold him, you hesitated at first, but then you agreed. I can’t even begin to describe the happiness that swelled in my chest as I handed him over. Your face softened more than I ever thought possible. Your lips tucked into the smallest of smiles like you were holding a wonder of the world. And in some ways, you were. Our son was the largest part of our world, and everything else faded in comparison. 

“You let out a small laugh, something I hadn’t heard in the longest time. I don’t know if it was because of work or family issues, but for that moment, I had no doubt. You were truly happy holding our son, and that meant everything to me.

“Despite your months of anxiety and fears about being a father, I knew at that moment that everything would be ok.”

“But how?” Gabriel shouted. By the sounds of it, she was always convinced of how much he would be a wonderful father. He wasn’t sure if he had. Life had stopped after the incident with Emilie. It took all that he had to continue day after day. 

The warmth spread over his cheek when she cupped his face. “Because I know you. You are the caring, passionate, hardworking man that I fell in love with.”

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his throat constricted. “I never knew how having a child would change things. Even the echoes of his laughter brought a smile to my face during the hardest workdays.” 

_Gabriel sighed to himself as the front door closed behind him. The investors were demanding unreasonable deadlines for his men’s fashion line. He had been lucky enough to get this contract in the first place as a new start-up company, but it meant that he was pulling long hours in order to make ends meet. A pair of giggles echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls. Such lighthearted, pure love; how could his lips do anything but smile?_

_Gabe found a renewing strength to climb up the stairs, making his way towards the joyous noise. He peeked around the corner to see his beautiful wife engaged in a tickle fight with their blonde toddler. Could this be a picture of a perfect world?_

_The laughter died down as the bedtime storybook fell off her lap and hit the floor. Emilie retrieved it and put it back on the shelf._

_"Mommy, where's daddy? Why couldn't he tuck me in?"_

_Gabriel's heart pained. He tried to be there for her - for them. In his own way, the long hours were how he was sure that Adrien's future was secure. Emilie knew that, at least, he thought she did. They had sat down and had a discussion a couple of weeks after Emilie brought Adrien home from the hospital. The longer he was waiting for a response; the more his heart pounded against his chest. He peeked around the corner of the doorway, fingers gripping the frame._

_Emilie leaned down and placed a loving kiss on Adrien's forehead. "Because your father loves you more than you can possibly imagine." She moved back the covers to allow her child to slide under the blankets before tucking in the sheets tighter. "He just shows it differently. Your father is doing everything in his power for you to grow up feeling loved and safe. He wishes for you to grow up strong._

_"Like a superhero?" Adrien asked, eyes blown wide with awe._

_Emilie gently laughed and ran her fingers through the blonde's locks. "I suppose he is."_

_Gabriel's heart clenched as he held back the tears forming in his eyes._

_“When I grow up, I want to be a hero, just like daddy.” Emilie stood, a soft smile playing her lips._

_“I think you can do anything that you want to.”_

_Gabriel knew his wife well enough to know she was holding back her own emotions. Adrien wouldn’t settle down if he picked up his mother’s distress._

_“Goodnight, Adrien. I love you.”_

_“I love you too, mommy.”_

_Emilie turned off the lights but stopped in the doorway when her eyes jumped up to his gentle gray eyes. Gabriel reached out and immediately pulled her into a tight hug. Her smell engulfed his senses. Even after all this time, she always calmed him._

_“Welcome home,” she muttered into his shoulder. “We missed you today.”_

_“I came home as soon as I could,” Gabriel whispered back. He stole a kiss, before leading Emilie away from Adrien’s room so they wouldn’t disturb him._

_“Do you wish things were different?” He didn’t know what he would do if she said yes; he would have to adapt, no matter what that meant for the company. Family had to come first._

_“Don’t you dare let any doubt that you’re doing what’s best for this family.” Her hands squeezed his reassuringly. “I trust your judgment completely.”_

_How could he have gotten so lucky?_

“Sometimes I wish we could have lived in that time forever,” he mused, casting his gaze to the ground. Emilie used a finger to push his chin upward.

“It’s not like we knew the dangers that awaited us in the coming years. We did the best we could, to protect our family - to protect our son.”

“If I would have known what getting involved with the miraculous would mean, I-” His voice gave out, and he turned his head away. 

“We couldn’t have known what would happen,” she gently corrected.   


_Gabriel started up his search in the wing with Adrien’s room. Emilie had the habit of checking in on Adrien when she was nervous, and he couldn’t blame her. They were being watched. Gabriel couldn’t prove it, besides the goosebumps on his arm or shivers that ran the length of his spine whenever he was out with Emilie and Adrien._

_At first, he added top security to the entire house; the best money could buy. He refused not to feel safe in his own home. The next step was to hire a bodyguard._

_After a month, the Agreste family lived in a degree of fear. Gabriel couldn’t be more thankful that Adrien was shielded from the inevitable danger._

_To think, this all started a month ago when Emilie helped this young man up from the streets. He apparently smiled, thanked her, and went on his way. In doing so, he left this scroll behind. Emilie said she had tried to find him to return it, but he had vanished. Inside was a series of Chinese characters._

_Curiosity got the better of them, and they began to do research together. The more time they spent pouring over symbols, the deeper into the rabbit hole they fell, unable to stop if they tried. All answers pointed to Tibet._

_They were all set to travel there within a week’s time, but then Emilie received an anonymous note warning her not to go. Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder if this was all a trap. The Agreste name was growing among the households within the fashion empire, and being at the top means you gain enemies._

_After a fight, they agreed to follow the note’s warning and to forget everything about miraculouses and the magic they possess. Well, he had thought that they made that decision until he walked into his room to find his wife packing a suitcase._

_“Emilie?” He asked, throat running dry._

_“I have to go.” The franticness flickered across her eyes, looking up from her clothes. “You know something is wrong, and I can’t let this go.” She placed another set into the suitcase. “You can stay here if you want to, but I’m going into Tibet.”_

_Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at his wife. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it almost immediately. How could she imagine that he would let her go without him?_

_His relief didn’t resonate until his arms were wrapped tightly around his wife, head buried into her hair. He couldn’t love this woman more if he tried. There was no way he would let her get on the plane without him._

_“You win,” he whispered against her. “We’ll get someone to watch Adrien.”_

_“But Gav, what about work— the meetings, investors.”_

_His hand cradled her cheek tenderly. “They can wait.” All of it could wait. His family needed him. “Even the CEO can take a couple of days off.”_

_“Really?”_

_He placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling her in once more. “Really.”_

_They stayed within each other’s embrace for a couple of minutes of silence._

_“Gabriel, I’m scared,” she confessed into his jacket._

_He tightened his grip on her. “Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you.”_  


In the end, he’d let her down. He missed or ignored the vital signs until they were too late. Gabe found as the more he was allowed to dwell on the thought, the more he hated himself. The miraculous had their undoubted blame, but he shared it too. 

A tear rolled down his cheek, then another. “I let you down. As much as I wanted to keep my promise, I couldn’t protect you.”

A warmth cupped his cheeks, and he didn’t need to open his eyes to know his wife’s hands cupped his face. 

“I forgave you a long time ago, Gav. You need to learn to forgive you yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.n.- One chapter left. And hopefully, it won't take nearly as long to write. ( And it will be happier... promise ). Let me know what you think!


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